Hartford Courant Editorial

A Blue Trail Of Negligence Stray Bullets Must Stop
Make sure shooting range stays on the straight and narrow

November 29, 2008

For the third time in a decade, police have identified Blue Trail Range & Gun Store in Wallingford as the likely source of stray bullets hitting homes in Durham. Blue Trail has been down this road too often. It's time state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal sought a court order ensuring that operations stay within the range of safety.

In the latest episode, state police investigated five complaints of stray bullets in Durham's Tri-Mountain neighborhood from October to May. (One bullet shattered a woman's kitchen window.) The homes lie on the other side of a ridge from the shooting range.

State police found nine bullets and tested them against 19 rifles fired at the range. In a report released recently, police said they weren't able to match the bullets to specific guns. They did note the bullets came from the direction of Blue Trail and were powerful enough to reach the homes less than two miles away.

More important, they said the owner of the shooting range, David Lyman, admitted removing safety baffles from several shooting positions. The baffles keep guns from shooting too high. Mr. Lyman removed them when his customers complained they couldn't shoot from a standing position.

"It's more likely than not that the rounds ... are being fired from the Blue Trail Range in Wallingford," state police concluded. They reached similar conclusions in 1997 and 2000.

This ought to be Mr. Lyman's third strike.

Running a shooting range is serious business that demands vigilance. Mr. Lyman's track record shows he's not up to the task. It's a wonder no one's been hurt or killed.

Mr. Lyman's negligence should no longer be permitted to jeopardize the safety of families in Durham and hikers who use a popular trail just beyond the range. That state and local officials have tacitly allowed Mr. Lyman to mismanage Blue Trail for so long is an inexcusable dereliction of duty.

Bullets That Hit Durham Homes Probably From Shooting Range

By PETER MARTEKA | The Hartford Courant November 24, 2008

DURHAM - - Several investigations by state police into stray bullets hitting homes of residents have concluded it is "more likely than not" that the rounds are coming from the Blue Trail Range in Wallingford.

State police released several reports to The Courant on Friday detailing investigations into complaints by residents who live on TriMountain Road and Catherine Drive. The reports investigated five complaints from residents who reported their homes being struck by bullets between Oct. 18, 2007, and May 27, 2008.

"It is more likely than not that the rounds striking the western portions of the residential homes in Durham are being fired from the Blue Trail Range in Wallingford," the reports said. During similar investigations in 1997 and 2000, state police reached the same conclusion.

"It's the same report every single time," Pasquale "Pat" DiNatale, a Durham homeowner whose property has been struck by bullets over the years, said Friday. "It's always the same conclusion, but no one ever does anything. When does it stop? When do they do something?"

During the latest investigation, state police found nine bullets and tested 19 rifles that had been fired at the range with the owners' consent. But no positive identifications could be made to the bullets found in the homes. The report also noted that the bullets found were "within the manufacturers maximum horizontal distances" from the range.

"To date, the only evidence lacking to confirm [that the bullets came from the range] is a ballistic comparison match linking a known weapon fired at the range and a recovered round in Durham," the report said.

The report also stated that the homes may be getting struck because baffles are "being removed at shooting positions on this range that would prevent this from occurring." In April, investigators met with range owner David Lyman and noticed that a large number of shooting positions on the 100-yard range were not baffled. Baffles are barriers used to contain bullets and to reduce, redirect or suppress stray bullets.

"[Lyman] advised state police investigators that he was receiving complaints from patrons of the range that they could not stand to shoot because of the baffles … Mr. Lyman advised state police investigators that he would not allow any more shooting at these positions and would reinstall the baffles upon learning that residences … had been struck again."

Over the summer, the state Department of Environmental Protection shut down the 100-yard rifle range after concerns were raised about the safety of hikers in the adjacent TriMountain State Park. The DEP lifted the ban after they reported that Lyman had made "significant" safety improvements. At the time, Lyman's attorney Craig Fishbein said the improvements would assure residents that the range is one of the safest in New England.

Since the last home was struck on Memorial Day, there have been no reports of residences being hit by bullets.

DiNatale's request for a court injunction to close the range will be heard in January.

"They need to fully baffle their range," DiNatale said. "The bullets need to be contained on their property. It's like 'All Quiet on the Western Front' out here."